Hey folks, I've been hearing about 'digital SAT scores' recently, not sure what that means exactly. Does anyone have any clear info about this and how it might affect my college applications? Many thanks, feeling a bit lost here.
Sure, don't worry about feeling lost, it's a new development for everybody! Since Spring 2024, the SAT has been fully digitized, which simply means the SAT is taken online rather than on paper. This, however, does not impact how the test scores are viewed by colleges; they still hold the same importance in your application for schools that are not test-blind.
In terms of structure, the digital SAT has two modules each for Reading and Writing and Math. You get 32 minutes for each reading and writing module to complete 54 questions, giving you about 71 seconds per question. For Math, you have 35 minutes for each module to answer a total of 44 questions – about 96 seconds per question.
Keep in mind, this shift to digital testing also means there's no longer a no-calculator section for the Math part; you're allowed to use a calculator for both sections.
In terms of score interpretation, the system hasn't changed. Your scaled scores for the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math sections are added together to get your final score, which is out of 1600.
Regarding your college applications, the digitization of the SAT doesn't make a significant difference in how colleges view your scores, with most colleges accepting the digital SAT in the same way they accepted the paper-version. Do keep yourself updated though on the test-optional and test-blind policies of the schools you're applying to, as a handful of them have discontinued their test-optional policies.
Hope this clears things up a bit!
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